TORONTO — TICO has announced a number of charges laid against several individuals and travel agencies, further highlighting the growing trend of fraud in the travel industry.

Jinling Wei and Herui Travel and Tours Corp. (Herui Travel) have plead guilty and were each convicted of one count of operating as a travel agent without registration. Ms. Wei was sentenced to a fine of $10,000 plus the Victim Fine Surcharge for a total of $12,500, and a Probation Order for a period of two years with a condition not to operate or otherwise be employed in the travel industry in any capacity. Herui Travel was sentenced to a $20,000 fine plus Victim Fine Surcharge for a total of $25,000.

This is the second conviction for Ms. Wei and Herui Travel under the Travel Industry Act, 2002. They were previously charged and convicted in November 2012 of operating as a travel agent without registration.

Similarly, Carolyn (Michelle) Solomon was charged with five counts of operating as a travel agent without registration. Solomon, who has never been registered as a travel agent under the Act, operated in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario. She has been previously charged under the Act; including the present charges, Solomon has been charged with a total of 16 counts of operating as a travel agent without registration. All charges are currently before the court; the next court appearance in this matter is scheduled for May 12.

Meanwhile, Placido Calore and 407488 Ontario Ltd. o/a Business & Vacation Travel Planners and Blue Mountain Travel (Blue Mountain Travel) were each charged with one count of failing to deposit customer funds received for travel services into the trust account of the registrant. Calore was a director and shareholder of Blue Mountain Travel, which voluntarily terminated its registration, effective July 31, 2015. Blue Mountain Travel operated in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario.

Calore and Blue Mountain Travel were previously charged with the following: 27 counts of failing to deposit customer funds into the trust account; one count of carrying on business with an unregistered travel agent; and one count of failing to notify the Registrar five days in advance of closing its Trust Account. The next court appearance in this matter is scheduled for May 12.